Jack vs Fate
by Leighawen
Summary: SG1 is in the middle of a Jaffa ambush while Jack thinks about all the times he's tried to propose to Sam- and how each time is interrupted by an SGC emergency. He wonders if Fate will ever let him pop the question. J/S established


**Disclaimer**: I don't own Stargate or any of it's characters. I'm not making any money with this story, please don't sue me.

**summary**: Jack tries again and again to propose to Sam. The only thing standing in his way- emergencies of the SGC and Fate. His solution- ask her in the middle of an emergency. As for the latter... 'It was in _that_ moment that Jack decided Fate hated him and didn't want them together. The moment after that, he decided Fate could go to Hell.'

**A/n**: I found this in my files and decided to post it. I'll warn you now that I don't have a beta so any mistakes are mine and mine alone. Hope you like it. :D

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Colonel Jack O'Neill raised himself from behind his cover of thick bushes and fired at the oncoming Jaffa. Ducking down as a few angry Jaffa shot near his head, he thought about how this was supposed to be his day off. He had just about had enough of the SGC's emergencies. Normally he wouldn't be so irritated by them- by now he was used to being called on his days off because of alien diplomats, weird diseases, technical difficulties, and about 10 other situations that happened almost on a weekly basis.

But for the past two weeks, the universe just seemed to have the worst timing for those sort of things. The reason- every time Jack decided that 'this is the perfect moment to ask Sam to marry me' at least one of their cell phones rang- summoning them to the base.

He and Sam had officially decided to be a couple six months ago (Daniel won a ton of money out of the betting pools that day).

They decided that they were going to pursue a relationship and that nothing, not even the ever-present frat regs, would stop them. So he and Sam had walked into General Hammond's office to tell him they were going to start something. Jack was ready to retire so that the regs wouldn't be a problem- he didn't want to end Sam's military career. Well, neither of them did really, but Jack had already retired, what, three times? So he decided to give retirement a chance- again. But Hammond asked Jack to wait before handing in his resignation letter. So, a few favors and a lot of string pulling later, Hammond came back saying that they could pursue a relationship and neither would have to leave the military. They were both needed on SG-1 and Hammond had gotten them permission to pursue a relationship.

Jack fired his P-90 again, irritating a lot of Jaffa who promptly fired back. A small round object in the pocket of his BDU's pressed against his skin, taunting him.

He had been carrying that engagement ring everywhere he went for the past month. You never knew when a snakehead would pop out of nowhere and destroy the world. And Jack wanted to _at least_ be _engaged _to Sam before he died.

He ducked lower- damn snakeheads had gotten more accurate. A staff blast off to his right covered him as he went for better cover- way to go T!

Jack had tried three times, in one week, to do the horribly cliché 'candle lit dinner at a fancy restaurant' proposal. Each time had been interrupted by the SGC; Daniel went missing with SG-9, some doohickey was threatening to overload and explode, and the Tok'ra said they had valuable information.

Thankfully- Daniel and SG-9 were found, the doohickey didn't destroy the base, and the Tok'ra really _did_ have valuable information. However- Jack still hadn't popped the ole question.

So he had tried a different approach of just subtly bringing up the subject- Daniel had chosen that moment to call Jack about some rock.

He tried again- yet another doohickey-disguised bomb.

And this last time- it would've been the perfect story.

He and Sam were sitting on the couch, watching a science fiction movie that Sam was tearing apart, scoffing at the idea of some scientific thing (Jack secretly found that aspect of her adorable). Then Sam had snuggled closer into his arms and Jack looked down at her. She was smiling, in an almost laughing way, as she talked about how something would be impossible because of some scientific theory or law. Then she looked up. Jack gave her a certified Jack O'Neill grin as their eyes met. He loved looking into her eyes. They were bright, full of life, so blue, and so unmistakably_** Carter**_.

Every time Jack looked into her eyes, they reminded him why he still called her 'Carter' sometimes. And why she didn't mind one bit, after he had explained his logic of course.

'Carter' was his. No one else called her Carter. They called her _Major_ Carter, Major, and Sam. But only he, Jack O'Neill, got to call her Carter. And 'Carter' summed up her for Jack. It hit all aspects of her life for him. Over the years Sam's last name had developed from just a subordinate soldier, to a way to keep her at arms length, to the genius, kick-ass, woman he loved with all his heart.

Anyway- there they had been in a horribly cliché 'lost in each others eyes' situation. Jack opened his mouth, to ask her- right then and there…

When the phone rang.

The cliché moment broken- ironically by another cliché- Jack picked up the phone. It was the SGC.

Go figure.

SG6 needed backup because of a Jaffa ambush. Almost all of the other teams were off-world. So here they were- SG teams 1, 2, and 6- in the middle of a fire fight on another planet; just another day at the office.

As Jack stood and took out two more Jaffa, a third shot him in the leg That hurt. A lot. He looked down at the wound and knew that Doc was going to have him in the infirmary for a while. He patched himself up as quickly as he could, tying a shoelace around his thigh to help stop the bleeding. Ignoring the pain, or at least trying to, he shot back.

They had gotten surrounded and were trying to get back to the gate. Jack instinctively looked around for his team. Daniel was behind a tree a few meters behind him, Teal'c was to his right, using another tree for cover, and Carter was in front of him, using a rock for cover. She stood and fired her P-90 before ducking down again. A staff blast hit her right arm, making her cry out in pain before sucking it up and firing one-handed at the Jaffa.

Jack stood and fired his gun, allowing her some time to try to stop the bleeding.

Five minutes later, SG-4 and SG-3 came through. Jack allowed relief to flow through him. Reinforcements.

Sweet.

"The gate's secure! Fall back!" Their radios crackled to life.

Jack watched as Sam distracted their opponents, allowing someone from SG-6 to fall back to the gate. It was in that moment that Jack decided to give up trying to give Sam some cliché proposal. It was more for her than him anyway and Fate wouldn't let it happen.

"SG-1 and 6, get your asses back to the gate!" the radio insisted.

Jack motioned for Teal'c and Daniel to go ahead, he'd watch their six. He saw Carter shout at the remaining members of SG-6 to fall back as she provided cover fire. Jack fired his P-90 to help her efforts.

A staff blast flew past his head and he ducked. Jack, for some crazy reason, decided that if the SGC was going to give them emergencies every time he tried to ask Carter to marry him, what difference would it make if they were already in the middle of an emergency?

He grabbed his radio.

"Carter?" Jack asked, firing again as the last members of SG-6 moved past him.

"Jack?" she shouted back. Sam switched in and out of using 'Sir' and 'Jack' when no order was being given. He was glad she chose to call him Jack this time.

"Will you marry me?" he asked. He knew everyone else could hear through their radios. He also didn't care. He fired his gun again, allowing Sam to fall back some.

There wasn't any cliché like; 'and time slowed' or 'the world seemed to become silent' hell, there wasn't even a 'and she looked back and her eyes met his, showing all her love in those beautiful blue orbs'.

Nope. Nothing like that.

However, Jack did hear her shout, "My radio's been shot!"

He glared. "Oh, for cryin' out loud!" It was in _that_ moment that Jack decided Fate hated him and didn't want them together. The moment after that, he decided Fate could go to Hell.

So he yelled back, "Fall back to the gate!" Then promptly added, "Hey, Carter! Will you marry me?!"

Sam fell back like the obedient soldier she was and above Jack's cover fire she yelled, "Yes!"

Jack grinned and followed her, jumping into the gate just after Daniel and Teal'c, who'd been waiting for them.

The iris closed behind them and Jack slipped a ring subtly onto Carter's hand. Then he looked up to the face of his wife-to-be…

She was laughing…

Hysterically.

Hysterically as in 'tears running down her face and shaking like crazy as she tried to control the mirth'. And it wasn't working- the control part that is.

Jack gave her a worried look. Did she think he was joking when he asked her?

Sam slipped the arm that wasn't bleeding around Jack as she continued to laugh.

"Uh, Carter?" Jack asked. "Sam? You okay? I mean… if you thought I was joking…"

"Only you," Sam managed through the giggling laughter, her head on his shoulder.

"Huh?" Jack was thoroughly confused now.

"Only you," she said, looking up at him with a smile. "Only you, Jack O'Neill, could ask someone to marry you in the middle of a Jaffa ambush, and be completely serious about it."

Jack smiled. "Sorry it couldn't have been more romantic. And not so…"

"Public?"

"Uh, yeah…" Jack said, uncomfortable. "I'm sure it wasn't the way you really wanted to get engaged. Ya, know, you probably could've had the whole 'down on one knee' thing."

Sam shook her head, seeing his doubt. "It wasn't what I expected. It wasn't how I thought it would happen." She smiled. "It was so much better."

Jack grinned.

Just before both of them lost consciousness because of blood loss.

Two days later, after they had just been allowed out of the infirmary, SG-1 walked down toward the elevator.

"It was really a great way to get engaged," Daniel said as he pressed the button.

"Yes it was," Sam agreed, her arm in a sling.

"Can't argue with ya there, Danny-boy," Jack said, he had crutches because of his leg.

"Indeed," Teal'c said. "Not only is it a great story for the SGC, Major Carter now can have the proposal of her dreams."

"How do ya figure that, T?" Jack asked.

"Oh! You saw it too, Teal'c?" Daniel asked.

"Saw_what_?" Jack asked.

"Well," Daniel explained, "since you can't exactly tell anyone that you got engaged in the middle of an alien ambush on another planet, unless you want to kill them afterwards, you're going to have to make up another engagement story."

"Ah."

Sam smiled as the doors slid open. "So, how were you going to ask me to marry you, Jack?"

"Which time?" he quipped.

"How many times had you tried?" Teal'c inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh," Jack said, "there was the time we got called in because Daniel went missing, the time the doohickey almost blew up the base, the time the Tok'ra came here with 'valuable information', then the time Daniel called because of some rock, then the _other_ time some bomb almost blew up the base-again-, then when we got called in because of SG6, and, finally, the time I asked Carter over the radios. So… Seven."

"When did you ask me over the radio?" Sam asked.

"You mean you didn't even hear it?" Daniel asked Sam.

Sam shook her head. "No, I heard him yell at me to fall back, then he shouted the question." She turned to Jack with a smile. "You asked me over the radios?"

Jack stuck his hands in his pockets. "Yeah… well…" He shrugged. "I got tired of trying to make it perfect. I just want to be engaged."

Sam kissed him. "It was perfect."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh."

Jack grinned. "Sweet."

Daniel and Teal'c shared amused smiles. Then, for no real reason they could think of, they all started laughing.

Daniel looked around the small elevator as he laughed, satisfied that even though Sam and Jack were getting married- finally- SG-1 would still be the family it always had been.


End file.
